Feanor

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
Key additions-Shaquille O'Neal, Jamario Moon, Anthony Parker, Leon Powe
Key Departures-Joe Smith, Sasha Pavlovic, Wally Szczerbiak, Ben Wallace

Barring an injury to LeBron James, the Cavaliers will take the Central Division for the second year in a row.  Cleveland GM Danny Ferry made what was arguably the biggest splash of the offseason through trading expiring contracts for future Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal.  Cleveland now has an elite inside scorer in Shaq and an elite outside scorer in point guard Mo Williams to complement the reigning MVP Lebron.  The combination of Shaq and PF Anderson Varajeo inside will make it very tough for opposing big men to score in the paint against the Cavs, and Lebron James and shooting guard Delonte West will make it equally difficult to score along the perimeter. 

Ferry also made several moves to shore up his bench, which now comprises one of the best second units in the league.  Anthony Parker can guard opposing 2's or 3's and can spread the floor with his effective 3-point shot.  Jamario Moon has the length to play the 4 and the quickness and outside shooting to play the 3.  He is a very underrated defender.  Both wingmen started for most of last year and can play extended minutes if necessary.  Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a good rebounder and outside scorer, is also a converted starter and is a guy who would be starting for most other teams.  He will spell Shaq for 20 or so minutes per game and provide instant offense off the bench.  The streaky Daniel Gibson will be the team's primary backup point guard and will play off the ball as well.  JJ Hickson and Leon Powe are athletic bigs who rebound well and can score inside.  They will be vying for minutes at the 4 as Varajeo's back up. 

The Cavs' greatest area of concern is probably their back court.  Delonte West is going through some legal troubles, and it's unclear how this will affect his play.  He's not a flashy player, but Cleveland needs his versatility and defense.  They are not the same team defensively when West doesn't play.  Mo Williams is a below average defensive player, and West frequenly takes on point guards who are difficult to cover.  He's small for a 2 but plays bigger than he is.  He's got a good outside shot, he can take the ball up the court, and he's got good court vision.  Cleveland needs him with it mentally.  The Cavs also need Mo Williams to improve defensively, but an available and mentally sound West will cover up that problem somewhat. 

Despite West's issues and some uncertainty as to how Shaq will fit in, the Cavs are too talented not to win the Central in 2009-10. 


2. Chicao Bulls
Key Additions-Jannero Pargo, James Johnson, Taj Gibson
Key Departures-Ben Gordon, Tim Thomas

The Bulls are a young team loaded with talent that is on the cusp of being elite, but perhaps is still searching for an identy and for better chemistry under second year head coach Vinny Del Negro.  Elite long-range shooter Ben Gordon left for Detroit, but the team also gets a healthy Luol Deng back.  Deng looked like he was on the verge of becoming a superstar in 2006-2007, but he inexplicably regressed the following season, and spent most of 2008-2009 injured.  The Bulls expect to advance past the first round of the playoffs this year, and to do so minus Gordon, they'll need the talented but enigmatic Deng to step up his game. 

Chicao has a potential superstar emerging at PG in Derrick Rose.  In his rookie year, Rose already was one of the team's primary options, and there's no reason to think the uber-athletic guard won't be even better this year.  He will be asked to shoulder more of the scoring load with Gordon gone, but more importantly, Rose must improve defensively against the league's elite PG's.  He has the skills to do so, but he needs to make less mental mistakes on that side of the ball, staying in front of his man and stopping them from driving inside.  Filling out the starting lineup is Tyrus Thomas, a very talented young PF , but a guy who needs to play smarter on both sides of the ball, the long-range shooting and gritty Brad Miller at center, and John Salmons, a quality passer and shooter who can guard 2's and 3's and play heavy minutes, at shooting guard. 

The bench is deep and talented as well.  Joakim Noah brings energy to the second unit, where he will be asked to bang inside with opposing bigs, fight for rebounds, and deliver hard fouls.  Hinrich should get plenty of minutes at both the 1 and the 2.  He's Chicago's best defensive stopper in the back court and will be used more often when an opposing guard is exposing Rose of Salmons defensively.  Jannero Pargo will be his back court mate, and here is a guy who can deliver big shots, play both guard positions, and hold his own defensively.  These two give coach Vinny Del Negro opportunities to play with his starting lineup, and expect him to frequenly go small by using Deng at the 4, Salmons at the 3, and Hinrich/Pargo at the 2. 

The Bulls are poised to make a big statement this year and potentially make a deeper playoff run.  They certainly have the talent to do so, but x-factor here is really Luol Deng.  No matter what Rose does, Deng is the missing piece in Chicago.  They need him healthy and effective this year. 

3. Detroit Pistons
Key additions-Charlie Villanueva, Ben Gordon, Ben Wallace
Key departures-Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDysse, Allen Iverson

The Pistons boast arguably the best back court in the central division this season.  6-5 Rodney Stuckey is poised to challange Derrick Rose as the division's top PG this season.  Stuckey has size and athleticism, he has the ability to score inside and he can guard tough 1's and 2's.  He needs to become better at distributing the ball and a better jump shot would help him as well.  Ben Gordon is the newest and most hyped member of Detroit's revamped back court, but Stuckey is the key to their success.  Playing behind Stuckey is the very underrated Will Bynum, who is the perfect backup PG for this team.  He plays with a lot of energy, he has pretty good court vision, he can hit the open jumper, and he can be a pest defensively. 

The 2/3 will entail a Richard Hamilton/Tayshaun Prince/Ben Gordon rotation.  Gordon was the team's marquee signing, and although he can change the game with his elite outside scoring, he is better suited to coming off the bench becaue he can be a liability defensively.  As starters, Prince and Hamilton will continue to form one of the better 2/3 combos in terms of both defense and versatility.  Rip is now 31, but he keeps himself in great shape and should avoid the injury bug.  He's still one of the best players in the NBA without the ball.  Prince will continue to guard the James and Deng's of the league and do a better job of it than most.  Gordon will be a 6th man of the year candidate, and his defensive liabilities can be covered up through the efforts of Stuckey, Prince/Rip along with some creative scheming. 

The problem in Detroit, and what will likely relegate them to 3rd or 4th place in the division, is the team's thin front court.  The starting center is Kwame Brown, and both he and his backup Ben Wallace are good defenders, but both are almost useless offensively.  Newcomer Villanueva will be the starting power forward, and make no mistake, this was a great signing for the Pistons.  He is young, he is a great outside scorer for a 4, he can defend along the perimeter and inside (though he isn't great at it), and he should continue to improve.  Problem is, he's more of a high post than a low post player.  Who can Detroit rely on for inside scoring then?  The best option might be Jason Maxiell, a great energy player that brings rebounding, defense, and some inside scoring off the bench.  The Pistons should not have to rely on Max as their #1 post scorer, though. 

Detroit could make some noise this year.  The Pistons are underrated every year, they have an emerging, young, superstar, and they have 3 of the 5 players that brought them a championship in 2004.  But to make the playoffs this season, the Pistons back court will have to carry its thin front court. 

4. Milwaukee Bucks
Key additions-Brandon Jennings, Carlos Delfino, Hakim Warrick
Key departures-Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva, Ramon Sessions

The Bucks could very well be a darkhorse team in the East this year.  This team is loaded with young talent and incredible athleticism.  They have a coach in Scott Skiles who will demand accountibility and will emphasize defense, which is the side of the ball young players all too often ignore.  It's uncertain who their starting lineup will be, but I would project Brandon Jennings, Michael Redd, Luc Mbah a Moute, Hakim Warrick, and Andrew Bogut from 1-5.  Jennings is an enigma.  He's a rookie with loads of talent, and he had a good experience in Europe this past year, but there are questions as to whether he's ready to start at PG in the NBA.  With Redd, it's all about health-his defensive lapses notwithstanding, there's no doubt the Bucks sorely missed his scoring down the stretch last year.  Mbah a Moute was a young, unheralded player who appeared out of nowhere.  The Bucks believed in him enough to let Villanueva walk rather than pay him a high salary.  Can he keep it up for a full year?  The Warrick signing was one I really liked.  The guy is an athletic and very underrated inside scorer, rebounder, although he could use a better outside shot for a 4.  As for Bogut...he's the Bucks franchise player, and in his short career he's shown flashes of brilliance, of being an all-around great center, but he needs to stay healthy and play more consistently.  Health is really the key for him.  Bogut's fought injuries throughout his young career, and Milwaukee needs him to stay healthy and rise to the next level if they want to rise to contender status in the East. 

The Bucks' bench is solid at the PG and wing spots, with ex-Raptor Carlos Delfino, a versatile player and very good outside scorer, backing up at the 2 and 3, veteran Luke Ridnour as the backup PG should Jennings falter, and yougsters Joe Alexander and Eryan Ilyasova vying for minutes as well.  The front court depth is another story.  Who is their primary big off the bench, Kurt Thomas (can't be Dan Gadzuric)?  Bogut is not known for his durability.  Hakim Warrick could potentially move to center, but he's a little thin to be playing the 5.  If Bogut goes down, the Bucks are in big trouble. 

I put the Bucks in 4th place over Indiana because I love their darkhores potential.  If Bogut and Redd can stay on the court and avoid injuries, this team will surprise a lot of people, but if either of them go down, particularly Bogut, the Bucks will finish in last again. 

5. Indiana Pacers
Key additions-Dahtany Jones, Tyler Hansborough, Earl Watson
Key departures-Jarret Jack, Marquis Daniels

In Danny Granger, Indiana boasts a player who may be on the verge of becoming a top 10, heck maybe a top 5 player in the NBA.  In my opinion, the only small forward better than him is Lebron James.  Granger can score inside, he can score outside, he's a great defender, he plays with a lot of heart, he can pass, he can rebound, he can play 3 positions.  It's a shame he doesn't get noticed more-he very well may be the league's most underrated player.  Granger will have big games, and with those big games, the Pacers can threaten better teams.  The other player Indian fans should be excited about is Bradon Rush, a wingman who showed signs of breaking out last year, and he should get more minutes with the departure of Daniels.  He may even start at the 2. 

Beyond these two, though, the Indiana roster is iffy.  Mike Dunleavy will be back, and we know he can score from the perimeter, and he's not a bad passer either, but beyond that he's limited, particularly defensively.  Troy Murphy-a double/double machine and a great perimeter scorer from the 4, but he's also an awful defender.  Jeff Foster will likely get the starting nod at the 5 to provide some semblance of post D, but he's largely ineffective offensively.  Roy Hibbert and Tyler Hansborough are young bigs who will have a chance to earn minutes at the 4 and 5.  Hansborough had a very nice summer league and, obviously, starred at the collegiate levl.  Can this translate to the NBA?  Hibbert has great size, but if he doesn't lower his number of fouls, he can't earn minutes. 

TJ Ford is the starting point guard with Jarret Jack gone.  Ford is talented offensively, but he's a poor defender and is far too prone to injury.  Earl Watson is his backup-nothing much to be excited about there.  Dahtany Jones is a nice role player to have around-he's a solid defender and can keep defenders honest with his jump shot, but he's a player more suited to helping a good team as a role player as opposed to a bad team.  Personally, I would have kept Jack over Jones. 

Indiana could surprise if Jim O'Brien can get this group to mesh and complement each other effectively.  But too many of Indiana's players are one-dimensional, and the team is too weak defensively to really make noise in this division.  Granger will do what he can, but unless Rush and Hansborough really surprise, I don't see this team going to the playoffs.